Terminal bank.



J. N. REYNOLDS & O. F. FORSBERG.

TERMINAL BANK.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 25. I916.

Patented Jul 23, 1918.

Oscar f. Famsberq.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Jorm' rmwnnnnr REYNOLDS, or ennnnwrcn, commcrrcnr, Am: oscnrz. r. nons-BERG,

0F YONKEBS, NEW YORK, ASSIGN'ORS T0 WESTERN ELECTRIC COMPANY,

INCORPORATED, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A QOBPORATION OF NEW YOR TERMINALBANK.

J Speciflcation of Letters latcnt.-

Application filed ma 25, 1916. Serial No. sans.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN NEWBERRY REYNOLDS and OSCAR F. Fonsnnnc,citizens of the United States, residing at Greenwich, in the county ofFairfield and State of Connecticut, and at Yonkers, in the county ofWestchester and State of New .York, respectively, have invented certainnew and useful improvements in Terminal Banks,

of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description.

This invention relates to terminal or switch banks of the class used inautomatic and semi-automatic telephone systems. vIt has formerly beencustomary, in terminal banks of this type, to employ contact stripswhich were separated by suitable insulation and clamped in superposedposition.

by means of insulated bolts threaded through each of the ifstrips. Muchdifficulty has been experienced in this structure from short circuits,resulting from failure,

struction, if any contact strip proved unsatisfactory, the whole switchbank became inoperative and was repaired only with much loss of time.The former bank,

because of its unitary structure and the greater number of parts to beassembled and alined, was also more difficult to manufacture and itsdimensions were not well adapted for packing and shipment.

One purpose of this invention is, therefore, the provision of a switchbank formed of comparatively small units containing the contact stripsof a number of lines, which will be some fraction of the entire numberof lines terminating at the switch bank.

Another purpose of this invention is to make each of the units ofstandard construction, so that any unit may be replaced by otherswithout readjustment of the contacts or terminals.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view partly in section, ofthe structure shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 2 is a front elevation of theterminal bank, with certain of the parts broken away Fig. 3 is avertical sectional view of the means provided for spacing the severalunits of the terminal bank; Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a modlfiedform of means for spacing the units, which serves the same purpose asthe spacing elements shown in Fig.

In the drawings, ,5 designates a horizontal support which is attached atits ends in any suitable manner to standards 6. The support, 5 and thestandards 6 are preferably constructed of angle iron. The standards,with the horizontal member, form a frame in which the terminal bankunits 7 are held by the angular clamping members 9, indi-" vidual toeach of the units. Each terminal bank unlt 7 has a lower clamping plate8, insulatedly mounted contact strips 11 and an upper clamplng plate10-arranged with their long axes extending in the same directron. Eachof the contact strips 11 is provided with the usual contacts orterminals t, t. The lower and upper clamping plates are provided withapertured lugs 12 and 13, respectively. These lugs extend from each sideof and in the same plane as the clamping plate of which they are a part.Clamping bolts or tie rods 14:, threaded through the apertures in thelugs, serve to securely hold the contact strips 11 between the plates 8and 10. It should be noted that the bolts 14 extend on each side of andat'a sufficient distance outside of the contact strips to prevent anyengagement between the bolts and said strips.

It is also provided that the lugs of each unit are arranged in staggeredrelation to the lugs of its adjacent units, so that the projectingportions of the clamping bolts of two adjacent units may be insubstantially the same horizontal plane.

The lowermost terminal unit of the bank rests on an adjusting screw 15,which is Patented July 23. 1918. a

' 20, having a threadedaperture through which the set screw 21 isadjustably mounted. The upper clamping plate of each unit I is-providedwith a lug 19 with which this set screw 21 engages.-

It will be understood that this disclosune is merely illustrative of theimproved switclf bank and that the scope of this invention is limitedonly by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a switch bank, clamping plates provided with laterally extendinglugs having apertures, a plurality of insulatedly, separated contactstrips mounted between and having their long axes parallel with the longaxes of the clamping plates, contacts extending from said contact stripsand tie rods extending through said lugs for holding said plates infixed relation.

2. In a switch bank, clampingplates provided with laterally extendinglugsha'vmg rods extending through said lugs for hold-' ing said platesin fixed relation.

3. In a switch bank, the combination 01 a plurality of terminal unitsassembled in operative relation, each unit comprising clamping plates,insulatedly separated contact strips, and holding means for said platesand strips, the mentioned holding means of the various units being instaggered relation.

4. In a switch bank, the combination of a plurality of terminal unitsassembled in operative relation, each unit comprising clamping platesprovided with laterally extending lugs having apertures, insulatedlyseparated contact strips, and tie rods extending through said lugs forholding said plates and strips in fixed relation, the mentioned tie rodsof the Various units being in staggered relation.

In witness whereof, we hereunto subscribe our names this 24th day ofMay, A. D. 1916.

JOHN NEWBERRY REYNOLDS.

OSCAR F. FORSBERG.

